§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to introduce limited legal aid for cases brought before employment tribunals, as provided for in Scotland by the Advice and Assistance (Assistance by Way of Representation) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001, to the extent that it is necessary to comply with the United Kingdom's obligations under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. [HL1816]
§ The Lord Chancellor(Lord Irvine of Lairg)Funding is already available for applicants to obtain legal advice when preparing a case to be brought before an employment tribunal. Funding is not usually available for representation. However, representation may be necessary in certain complex cases before employment tribunals and I have the power to authorise funding in these, under Section 6(8)(b) of the Access to Justice Act, 1999.
I have no present intention to extend funding for representation to employment tribunals in England and Wales more generally.